Signs of suffering from 'selfie' addiction

Selfies have become a cultural phenomenon with celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Rhianna and even the president are driving the trend. They have all been caught taking self-potraits on their cellphones. Though it is fun and trendy, some psychologists say there is a dark side to selfie-taking and it could be a cry for attention or even help.

It is hard not to get swept up in the selfie craze. It is fun, easy and with one click your picture is posted for all to see. For those who are not hip to the trend, selfies are a self-portrait typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. They are often shared on social networking sites like Twitter and Instagram.

Ayana Frank, a 40-year-old mother of three, is caught up in the action. Of her more than 1,300 Instagram posts, about 230 are selfies of herself or with friends and family.

"They have coined the phrase that I'm the queen of selfies. I don't think I am, but that's what they say," she said of her friends' reaction to her plethora of posts. Some friends say she posts too many or that she is in love with herself.

"Do I really like myself? I think everybody should," she said.

Frank has even created a T-shirt promoting that self-love. It is four of her favorite selfies with the words "Love Thy #selfie" written above.

"I had somebody say on a picture, that wasn't following me, that I must be stuck up or I must think that I'm better than people because I had a bunch." Frank said. "I said, 'No, it's not about that. It's if I don't love me, who's going to love me?' So I just kind of said under the picture, 'You have to love thy selfie.'"

Opinions vary over whether excessive selfie-taking signifies arrogance and vanity or if it is a cry for help.

"There's already something injured in this person that they gravitate towards this pseudo-affirmation place, but it also rips the wound open," said Kelley Ott, a counselor at the HOPE Center.

Ott said selfies may be are an outward expression of a person's existing self-esteem issues or feelings that they are not good enough. He said some young people who post selfies are seeking attention, positive feedback and social validation. Certain insecurities make them vulnerable and lead them to rely too heavily on the response of others.

"The fact that you're showing other people means it's not just self-love. It may be an element of that, but it can't be just self-love if you're showing it to somebody you're wanting some of theirs too," Ott said.

Ott said it is more dangerous for teenagers who are still developing their identity because often times posting what you believe is the perfect picture of yourself can lead to more negative thoughts if you don't get the positive feedback you are seeking.

"Because negative comments are typically blown up in huge proportion, people ruminate and worry and live in that 'I can't believe she said this, what's wrong with me? I hate her,'" he said.

He added that selfies could be toxic for people with a more serious mental illness like body dysmorphia, which in extreme cases can lead to suicide.

"Somebody with body dysmorphia, no matter how good they look and no matter how many people tell them, they can't hear it, it doesn't matter. A selfie addict or someone who's way into the selfies does kind of the same thing. That idea of perfection for taking so many pictures, getting just the right angle, just the right lighting and everyone tells me this is OK and acceptable," he said.

Ott said selfie-taking can be an addiction if it affects other areas of your life because you will not or cannot stop. What's abnormal for selfies is, as with most things, a lack of balance. If you feel you are a selfie abuser, Ott suggests speaking to a counselor.

"It's not a medicated thing, you're not crazy but there is something hurt, and there's somebody who can help walk you through that and heal that," he said.

As for Frank, the queen of selfies, she plans to continue loving thy selfie.

"Are there things about myself that I may want to change? Naturally, I think that's anybody. I don't think I'm perfect in any way, but at the same time I think everyone is beautiful in their own way," Frank said.

Psychologists suggest keeping a selfie journal for a week and writing down how you're feeling and what you're doing when you want to take a selfie. This will help you evaluate whether you are overusing selfies to self-medicate bad moods or anxiety, trying to satisfy the need for social connection, or just avoiding getting your work done.

Below is Selfie: Self-Assessment to help you determine if you need some balance.

Posting Selfies: Balance vs. Abuse

Here are some questions for you to answer:

(Yes or no.)

* I often spend more time taking selfies than I meant to

* I would find it very difficult to make it through a day without taking a selfie

* I spend a lot of time thinking about selfies or planning how I will take selfies

* I feel an urge to take selfies more and more

* I take and post selfies in order to forget about or avoid doing other things

* I've tried to cut down on the amount of selfies I take without success

* When I post a new selfie, I am very disappointed if no one comments on it

* I take selfies so much that it has had a negative impact on my relationships, job or studies

* I imagine everything I do as a selfie

* Posting selfies makes me feel more important

If you answer yes to one or two of these questions, it's time to step back and evaluate your use of selfies. If you answer yes to more than a couple, it's no longer about selfies. Overuse of selfies (or any form of social media) may mean you are using short-term gratification at the expense of more important goals.

To rank the "selfie" capitals of the world, Time magazine built a database of more than 400,000 Instagram photos tagged "selfie" that included geographic coordinates. A total of 459 cities are included. Here are the Top 20:

RHIANNA HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE TREND... EVEN THE PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY HAVE BEEN CAUGHT TAKING THEM.. THOUGH IT'S FUN AND TRENDY... SOME PSYCHOLOGISTS SAY THERE IS A DARK SIDE TO SELFIE-TAKING. WDSU'S CASEY FERRAND EXPLAINS WHY IT COULD BE A CRY FOR ATTENTION OR EVEN HELP. IT'S HARD NOT TO GET SWEPT UP IN THE SELFIE CRAZEIT'S FUN, IT'S EASY, AND WITH ONE CLICK AND A HASHTAG YOUR PICTURE IS POSTED FOR ALL TO SEE. 40 YEAR AYANA FRANK A MOTHER OF THREE IS CAUGHT UP IN THE ACTION. 19:02:05 that's 20 in two weeks. that is insane. I didn't realize that. 05 FOR THOSE WHO AREN'T HIP TO THE TREND... SELFIES ARE A SELF- PORTRAIT TYPICALLY TAKEN WITH A HAND-HELD DIGITAL CAMERA OR CAMERA PHONE. THEY'RE OFTEN SHARED ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES LIKE TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM. OF FRANK'S 13-HUNDRED INSTAGRAM POSTS... ABOUT 230 ARE SELFIES OF HERSELF OR WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. 18:50:59 they have coined the phrase that i'm the queen of selfies. I don't think I am but that's what they say. 08 SOME FRIENDS SAY SHE POSTS TOO MANY... OR THAT'S SHE'S IN LOVE WITH HERSELF. 18:50:13 do I really like myself. I think everybody should SHE'S EVEN CREATED A T- SHIRT PROMOTING THAT SELF LOVE. I had somebody say on a picture, that wasn't following me, that I must be stuck up or I must think that I'm better than people because I had a bunch, and I said no it's not about that. It's if i don't love me who's going to love me, so I just kind of said under the picture you have to love thy selfie. OPINIONS VARY OVER WHETHER EXCESSIVE SELFIE-TAKING SIGNIFIES ARROGANCE AND VANITY OR IF IT'S CRY FOR HELP. There's already something injured in this person that they gravitate towards this pseudo-affirmation place but it also rips the wound open KELLEY OTT... A COUNCELOR AT THE HOPE CENTER SAYS SELFIES MAY BE ARE AN OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF A PERSON'S EXISTING SELF ESTEEM ISSUES... OR FEELINGS THAT THEY AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH. HE SAYS SOME YOUNG PEOPLE WHO POST SELFIES ARE SEEKING ATTENTION, POSITIVE FEEDBACK AND SOCIAL VALIDATION. CERTAIN INSECURITIES MAKE THEM VULNERABLE AND MAKE THEM RELY TOO MUCH ON THE RESPONSE OF OTHERS. 22:14:12 but it can't be just self love if you're showing it to somebody you're wanting some of theirs too. so you're wanting love from others? Absolutely. OTT SAYS IT'S MORE DANGEROUS FOR TEENAGERS WHO ARE DEVELOPING THEIR IDENTITY. BECASUE OFTEN TIMES... POSTING WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS THE PERFECT PICTURE OF YOURSELF... CAN LEAD TO MORE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS IF YOU DON'T GET THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK YOU'RE SEEKING. 22:10:57 because negative comments are typically blown up in huge proportion. people ruminate and worry and live in that I can't believe she said this what's wrong with me I hate her OTT SAYS SELFIES COULD BE TOXIC... FOR PEOPLE WITH A MORE SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS LIKE BODY DYSMORPHIA... WHICH IN EXTREME CASES CAN LEAD TO SUICIDE. 22:19:51 somebody with body dysmorphia no matter how good they look no matter how many people tell them they can't hear it it doesn't matter. HE SAYS SELFIE TAKING CAN BE AN ADDICTION IF IT AFFECTS OTHER AREAS OF YOUR LIFE BECASUE YOU WON'T OR CAN'T STOP... WHAT'S ABNORMAL FOR SELFIES IS, AS WITH MOST THINGS, A LACK OF BALANCE. IF YOU FEEL YOU ARE A SELFIE ABUSER... OTT SUGGESTS SPEAKING TO A COUNSELOR. 22:23:07 it's not a medicated thing you're not crazy but there is something hurt and there's somebody who can help walk you through that and heal that. 09 AS FOR THE QUEEN OF SELFIES... SHE PLANS TO CONTNUE SHARING HER LOVE OF THY SELFIE. 18:55:28 are there things about myself that I may want to change? Naturally, I think that's anybody. I don't think I'm perfect in any way but at the same time I think everyone is beautiful in their own way. 11 ON YOUR SIDE CASEY FERRAND. OTT SAYS IF YOU'RE NOT POSTING SELFIES FOR ACCEPTANCE OR TO FILL A HOLE... THEN IT'S PERFECTLY FINE. CASEY, HOW CAN YOU DETERMINE IF YOU MAY BE A SELFIE ADDICT? PSYCHOLOGISTS SUGGEST KEEPING A SELFIE JOURNAL FOR A WEEK... WRITING DOWN HOW YOU'RE FEELING AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING WHEN YOU WANT TO TAKE ONE. THIS WILL HELP DETERMINE IF YOU'RE USING SELFIES TO POSSIBLY "SELF- MEDICATE" BAD MOODS OR ANXIETY, TRYING TO SATISFY THE NEED FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION, OR JUST AVOIDING GETTING YOUR WORK DONE. WE'VE POSTED A SELFIE: SELF ASSESSMENT ON OUR WEBSITE TO